Books

Being 14

Being 14 gives a voice to every teen girl in Australia. Madonna King has interviewed 200 14-year-old girls across the country, talked to successful school principals, psychologists, CEOs, police, guidance and neuroscientists to reveal the social, psychological and physical challenges every 14-year-old girl is facing today.

-How much independence do they need?
-What is the power of a friendship group?
-How do you help build self-confidence?
-Why the obsession with selfies, social media and FOMO?
-How are parents unknowingly making life so much harder for them?

Overwhelmingly, these young girls – on the brink of womanhood – struggle to tell their parents how they feel. That’s why Being 14 gives you the answers you are looking for. It’s your daughter, talking to you. And her hope, beyond anything, is that you will listen.

Joe Hockey

While thousands of viewers watched Joe Hockey’s approachable persona each week on Channel 7’s Sunrise, there is a lot more to the Australian Treasurer than meets the eye. After embarking on his political career as a student, Hockey worked tirelessly to rise through the ranks of the Liberal Party – learning some pivotal lessons along the way and earning himself one of the nation’s toughest jobs.

Having held a raft of senior ministerial positions in the Howard government, he presides over some of the most controversial financial decisions of the decade: rejecting the bid by US food processing giant Archer Daniels Midland to take over Graincorp; Holden’s decision to leave Australia; and demands for help from national icons such as Qantas and SPC Ardmona.

Already a household name, it is hard not to know about Hockey the politician, who has declared a ‘new age of opportunity’ and whose Budget has got the nation talking. But what about the man behind the politician?

Drawing on hundreds of interviews, as well as full access to Joe Hockey, his family and friends, Madonna King’s biography explores the influences that have shaped his life, and provides an exclusive and unparalleled insight into the man who will play a pivotal role in our nation’s future.

Ian Frazer

When Professor Ian Frazer was awarded the patent for the vaccine to cervical cancer, he knew it could help to save the lives of 275,000 women around the world each year.

Respected across the globe, few people know the real story of the Scottish-born Australian of the Year who is behind one of the great medical discoveries of the century. Given exclusive access to Ian Frazer, biographer and award-winning journalist Madonna King peels back the many layers of his extraordinary life. She tells of the ongoing struggle for funding cancer research, the herculean international legal battle waged to win the patent, the devastating loss of his friend and co researcher, Dr Jian Zhou, and Ian Frazer’s ongoing commitment to have the vaccine made available in the developing world.

Ian Frazer: The man who saved a million lives is an unforgettable story of perseverance and aspiration. And he isn’t finished yet, with research underway for another historic medical breakthrough.

One Way Ticket

On 17 April 2005, nine young Australians were arrested in Bali on charges of trafficking heroin. Four of the group —Renae Lawrence, Martin Stephens, Scott Rush and Michael Czugaj — were caught with the drugs taped to their body. Two others, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were alleged to be the ringleaders of the well-organised operation. And a final three — Si Yi Chen, Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Matthew Norman — were also scooped up as the final element in the Bali Nine, as the group came to be known.

Their arrests, so closely following that of Schapelle Corby, shocked Australians; even more shocking was the revelation that all of the Nine could face the death penalty in Indonesia. Public opinion was loud and divided on their level of guilt — particularly after it was revealed that the ‘mules’, who were physically transporting the drugs, had probably had death threats made against them and their families to ensure their involvement — and on the appropriate punishment.

Highly respected journalists Cindy Wockner and Madonna King have investigated the extraordinary untold story of the Bali Nine. With the assistance of several family members of the Nine, they explore the histories of these eight men and one woman who have so unwittingly come into the public eye, and try to discover why these young people would take such an enormous risk. They also look at the controversial role of the Australian Federal Police in the fate of the Nine and at the impact of drug smuggling on Australian society, and they are present at the court cases, verdicts and sentencing.

One-way Ticket: The Untold Story of the Bali 9 is a remarkably compelling, clear-eyed portrait of a chapter in Australia’s history that will not soon be forgotten. It also serves as a chilling warning to all parents: this could be your child, too.

Catalyst

In a world of big government and big business, individuals can still make a difference – especially when their fight sparks the media’s interest and the survival instincts of politicians. In this compelling book, eleven stories from across Australia show how one person can be a catalyst for change.

A Victorian mother overturns a law preventing her family receiving compensation for her asbestos-related disease. A South Australian grandmother campaigns for tougher break-and-enter laws after a spate of home invasions. A Queensland father inspires new legislation for victims of crime. These accounts chronicle individuals’ triumphs against outdated state legislation.

For this powerful and engaging analysis, radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist Madonna King has interviewed more than 130 people – from state premiers and attorneys-general to Supreme Court judges and lawyers, from journalists and criminals to academics and social workers. But it is the brave and often untold stories of ordinary Australians that have inspired this book.

A Generous Helping

This collection of 150 heirloom recipes comes from the people of Queensland, as they attempt to replace the treasured recipes that were swept away in the terrible floods of January 2011. All royalties will go to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal. “to many outside Queensland, they might just be names. Karen. Paul. Michelle. Anne. But they’re our neighbours, our friends, our local communities. they’ve lost so much. this cookbook is about more than 150 recipes. It’s about rebuilding what we had, sharing something form our own homes, and knowing we’re doing that with big lashings of love.” Madonna King, Presenter, ABC 612 Brisbane mornings In the terrible Queensland floods of January 2011 much was lost, some of it irreplaceable. Many listeners contacted Alison Alexander, resident foodie and cook at Madonna King’s Morning Show on ABC Radio to tell her they had lost their treasured recipe collections, that were handed through the generations. Madonna and Alison decided to do a call out to listeners and ask them to send in recipes and they were amazed by the response as everything from mutton stew to chocolate pudding came in. And with them, stories of what those recipes meant to families. this collection of 150 recipes attempts to regain what was lost in the floods, offering a treasure chest of dishes as diverse and interesting as Queenslanders themselves, and demonstrates once more, their resilience and creativity in the face of disaster. With a foreword by Madonna King, all royalties from this book will go to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal.

Think Smart Run Hard

Maxine Horne knows the road to success. She was born in Struggle Street in the United Kingdom, and now lives in Millionaire’s Row in Australia. Along the way, she’s learnt every tip you need to make a success of your own business. Through smart thinking and hard running, Maxine Horne has been instrumental in building telecommunications giant, the ASX-listed Vita Group Ltd, which runs 100 Telstra stores, and a family of offshoots.

Maxine’s story, which she asked author Madonna King to pen for her, shows you how you can take an idea, shape it with hard work and keep ahead of your competitors. From the child with a far-fetched dream to escape her past and become an entrepreneur for the future, to a life of bulging property portfolios and jet-setting holidays, Maxine Horne’s story could help you and your business shine.